VisionTec CL, the developer of disposable contact lenses, is to relocate to a new £3m headquarters in Plymouth, with the creation of up to 100 jobs over the next two years.31-Dec-2002

St Richards Hospital in Chichester is to build a new £9m diagnostic and treatment centre by March 2005.24-Dec-2002

The Department of Health is to acquire Life Resources, the US-owned group of 24 blood donor centres, for up to £70m, in order to ensure future supplies of blood plasma.18-Dec-2002

NHS Argyll & Clyde is to invest more than £2m in mental health services, including a new dementia assessment centre at Dumbarton Joint Hospital.17-Dec-2002

ScotNursing has received an investment of more than £1m from Aberdeen Murray Johnstone Private Equity, to fund the expansion of its chain of ten nursing agency branches to 30 over the next 18 months.13-Dec-2002

Teignbridge Primary Care NHS Trust is seeking permission to build a new £10m hospital in Newton Abbot by 2006.13-Dec-2002

Hinchingbrooke NHS Trust has selected the Prospect Healthcare consortium as preferred bidder to build a £20m ambulatory care and diagnostic centre in Huntingdon.11-Dec-2002

The Department of Health is to invite private healthcare companies to build 10 ophthalmic centres, 10 general surgical centres and seven orthopaedic centres, as part of a strategy to cut waiting times.09-Dec-2002

Oasis Healthcare is planning to acquire Dencare, the operator of 36 dental surgeries, for £20m.06-Dec-2002

Medical Solutions is considering plans to relocate its head office from Leeds to Nottingham, in order to combine all its business units onto one site.06-Dec-2002

Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust has announced plans to build a £15m medical research and training centre at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro by September 2004, with the creation of up to 400 jobs.04-Dec-2002

Gyrus has sold its surgical drapes business to Microtek Medical for £2.5m.03-Dec-2002

Doncaster Council has approved plans for the development of a £1.4m dental centre next to Mexborough's Montagu Hospital.02-Dec-2002

Balfour Beatty's Heery International division has won a contract worth up to £100m to manage the redevelopment and expansion of five National Blood Service centres in Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and London.27-Nov-2002

Greater Manchester Health Authority has received proposals from OR International of the US for the development of a private heart hospital in Manchester.26-Nov-2002

Ashbourne Specialist Health is considering plans to set up a 40-bed secure psychiatric hospital on the Gainsborough House site at Abergele in North Wales, with the creation of up to 80 jobs.20-Nov-2002

The National Assembly for Wales is to help fund the development of a new cancer research laboratory in Wales, as part of the Welsh Translational Research Centre, but details have not yet been finalised.20-Nov-2002

Taylor Woodrow has won a £30m contract from the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust to build a tertiary cardiac centre.20-Nov-2002

The Scottish Executive is to consider plans for a £9m expansion project at the Chalmers Hospital in Banff, and work could start by the end of 2003.13-Nov-2002

Tendring and Colchester Primary Care Trusts have announced a £25m project to improve health services in the two districts, including the redevelopment of Dovercourt Health Centre and Harwich Hospital and a new primary care centre in Colchester.11-Nov-2002

Pets Naturally is planning to raise £1.3m to fund the development of a national chain of veterinary practices, and will also launch a range of animal healthcare products.11-Nov-2002

Oasis Healthcare has acquired Ora Dental Group, the operator of ten dental surgeries in London and the south-east, for up to £5m.06-Nov-2002

Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking bids for a £90m project to build new acute facilities at the Churchill Hospital site and to relocate other services.06-Nov-2002

Specsavers has acquired Leicester-based hearing aid chain HearCare for about £2m, which is expected to lead to the creation of 400 jobs and 100 new private hearing aid centres across the country over the next four years.05-Nov-2002

City of York Council is to consider plans from Nuffield Hospitals for the development of a new private hospital at the Nestle Rowntree site.29-Oct-2002

Phoenix Equity Partners is backing the acquisition of cosmetic surgery operator Transform by Covenant Healthcare for an estimated £20m.28-Oct-2002

Robinson is planning to relocate its healthcare products business from Chesterfield to Carlton-in-Lindrick, Nottinghamshire, by July 2003, which will affect about 300 staff.22-Oct-2002

Carmarthenshire NHS Trust is planning to spend £7m improving and expanding services at the West Wales General Hospital in Carmarthen, and work is expected to start within two years.18-Oct-2002

Balfour Beatty has won a £12m contract from Lomond & Argyll Primary Care NHS Trust to build a healthcare unit at the Mid Argyll Hospital site in Lochgilphead.17-Oct-2002

Optical Express has bought Health Clinic, the Newcastle-based owner of Eye Clinic, out of administration for £10m.15-Oct-2002

Robinson, the Chesterfield-based manufacturer of healthcare products, has undergone a £22m management buy-out backed by venture capital group 3i.14-Oct-2002

The Stracathro Hospital in Brechin is to undergo a £10m redevelopment over the next three years, with £6.4m allocated to building work and the rest for equipment.14-Oct-2002

Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust has awarded a £12m contract to Robertson to build a community resource centre in Forfar.10-Oct-2002

Costain is to build a £11m paediatric and maternity unit at Ormskirk Hospital and a £8m medical health unit at Countess of Chester Health Park.09-Oct-2002

Adkins Medical is to set up a market research office in Pembroke Dock with the creation of 40 jobs, in order to conduct phone surveys of medical practitioners.08-Oct-2002

Warrington Hospital is planning to build a £1.8m cardiac centre, as part of a £11m investment in the modernisation of local health services.07-Oct-2002

Integrated Dental Holdings has acquired a further nine dental practices across the country for £3m, gaining 25 surgeries and more than 50,000 patients.03-Oct-2002

Oasis Healthcare has acquired two dental practices in Brigg and Trowbridge for £0.6m, taking its total estate to 75 sites.03-Oct-2002

Costain has won a £13m contract to build new facilities at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in Shropshire.02-Oct-2002

Hull & East Yorkshire NHS Trust has unveiled plans to set up a £6m research centre at Castle Hill Hospital in Hull, to study new treatments for cancer and heart disease.30-Sep-2002

Generics and Siemens are forming a new Cambridge-based company called Sphere to develop a new method of using silicon chips to monitor the blood condition of hospital patients.23-Sep-2002

Shepherd Construction has won a £22m contract to build three new buildings at the Royal Preston Hospital.18-Sep-2002

North Durham NHS Trust is to merge with its South Durham counterpart to form County Durham & Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which is expected to lead to the creation of a special care baby unit and gynaecology facilities at Darlington Memorial Hospital.16-Sep-2002

Sandwell Council has approved plans for a £9.8m health centre in Albert Street, including a GP practice, consulting suites and offices.16-Sep-2002

Carillion is linking up with BMI and Nestor to bid for the development of fast-track NHS surgery centres.12-Sep-2002

Clinovia, the provider of home care support services, is to create 30 jobs at a new base in Derby in January.11-Sep-2002

The London Ambulance Service is looking to recruit up to 400 paramedics, following an increase in the number of 999 calls.06-Sep-2002

Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust is planning to build a £9m training centre and patient hotel at its site in central London.05-Sep-2002

Taunton & Somerset NHS Trust is planning to build a £13m oncology centre at the Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, and is seeking a contractor to start work in December 2003.04-Sep-2002

Magstim, the manufacturer of electronic medical equipment, is to create 16 jobs at its new 13,000 sq ft factory, laboratory and office complex in Carmarthenshire.03-Sep-2002

Rotherham District General Hospital NHS Trust has awarded a £4m contract to Wildgoose to build a mental health unit.29-Aug-2002

Duke Street Capital is to support plans for a £55m management buy-out of Thornbury Nursing Services, the Bristol-based healthcare recruitment firm.26-Aug-2002

Kingston Hospitals NHS Trust is planning a £23m expansion at Kingston Hospital, including new surgery, gynaecology and physiotherapy units.22-Aug-2002

Partnerships UK has announced a further 24 schemes to build and maintain surgeries and healthcare centres throughout the country, under the government's NHS LIFT programme.21-Aug-2002

West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds is to build a new £5m diagnostic and treatment centre.20-Aug-2002

Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust is planning to build three temporary wards and two temporary operating theatres at Bradford Royal Infirmary, at a cost of £5m.20-Aug-2002

Four Seasons Health Care has announced plans to acquire Omega Worldwide, the operator of 127 care homes, and Principal Healthcare Finance, the owner of 231 care homes.20-Aug-2002

Baggaley Construction has won a £5.2m contract to build a breast care centre at Nottingham City Hospital.19-Aug-2002

Ferraris Group has acquired Hertford Medical International, the Welwyn Garden City-based provider of cardio-diagnostic services to the clinical trials sector with 34 staff, for up to £2.2m.16-Aug-2002

Morecambe Bay NHS Hospitals Trust has awarded two contracts worth £9.6m to Allenbuild to build a mental illness unit at Ulverston Hospital and a rehabilitation ward at Furness Hospital.08-Aug-2002

Addenbrooke NHS Trust and Cambridge University are to select from four consortia for the development of a £55m elective care facility at Addenbrooke's Hospital.25-Jul-2002

HgCapital is supporting a management buy-out of Castlebeck Care, the Darlington-based specialist care provider with 358 staff in 10 centres.23-Jul-2002

East Midlands Nuffield Hospital in Littleover has started work on a £7m expansion programme, being carried out by GF Tomlinson of Derby, in order to provide new rooms, a third operating theatre and other facilities.23-Jul-2002

Huddersfield Royal Infirmary is planning to build two new operating theatres and a diagnostic laboratory by May 2003, at a cost of £3.7m.22-Jul-2002

Doctors Direct is to raise £1m in a flotation on Ofex, in order to expand its network of 3,000 mobile doctors and nurses.22-Jul-2002

Mid Staffordshire General Hospital Trust is planning to build a £20m diagnostic and treatment centre at Staffordshire General Hospital, and has also announced plans to recruit 130 new doctors, nurses and support staff at hospitals in Cannock and Stafford.19-Jul-2002

Hull City Council is linking up with West Hull and Eastern Hull Primary Care Trusts to launch a £30m long-term programme of improvements to community health services, including the refurbishment of doctors' surgeries across the city.19-Jul-2002

Kent County Council has awarded a £15m contract to Costain to build and maintain two social and health care centres at Margate and Tenterden.18-Jul-2002

Rokbuild has won a £5m contract to build a community hospital and health centre for Cornwall NHS Healthcare Trust in Liskeard.18-Jul-2002

Wyre Forest District Council has approved plans for the development of a £14m diagnostic and treatment centre at Kidderminster hospital, including three theatres, an outpatient suite, short-stay wards and a maternity unit.12-Jul-2002

Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust is seeking a private sector partner for the development of a £47m clinical building at the University Hospital.10-Jul-2002

Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust is planning a £44m project to replace the East Wing at the Manor Hospital, in order to build a new children's unit, day treatment centre and pathology department.08-Jul-2002

Northern Ireland Executive has approved plans for the development of a £57m regional cancer centre at the City Hospital in Belfast, as part of a £270m spending package for hospitals and schools.03-Jul-2002

Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow has won approval to spend a further £3m on the refurbishment of its maternity unit.25-Jun-2002

The National Assembly for Wales has outlined plans for the creation of 8,700 new healthcare jobs in Wales over the next eight years, including nurses, consultants, general practitioners and other professionals.21-Jun-2002

Galliford Try has been selected by Northamptonshire Community NHS Trust as preferred bidder to build a £6m mental health unit in Kettering.19-Jun-2002

Neilcott has won a £8.5m contract to build a new wing at St Joseph's Hospice in Hackney.19-Jun-2002

Phoenix Equity Partners has acquired Abbey Hospitals Group, the owner of six private hospitals, for £25m, creating a new group called Covenant Healthcare.19-Jun-2002

St Jude Medical is relocating the UK headquarters of its medical supplies business and 50 staff from Coventry to a 10,000 sq ft office at the Stratford-upon-Avon Business & Technology Park.19-Jun-2002

Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust has awarded a £4m contract to Robertson to build a new home for the elderly in Edinburgh.13-Jun-2002

OCDEM, the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, has received a £3.2m donation from Takeda of Japan for the development of the £12m diabetes research centre at the Churchill Hospital in Headington.12-Jun-2002

Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust is to invest £17m updating buildings and equipment at Sandwell, Rowley Regis and Birmingham's City hospitals this year, in order to provide more critical care beds and modernise emergency care.10-Jun-2002

Hartest has acquired Qados, the distributor of radiotherapy healthcare and research equipment, for £1.7m.07-Jun-2002

Serco has acquired SDC, the healthcare management consultancy, for £2m, in order to increase the range of strategic advice and consultancy services provided to the NHS.07-Jun-2002

St Helens & Knowsley NHS Trust has announced plans for a £228m hospital rebuilding programme, involving sites at the Whiston, St Helens and Newton hospitals and the creation of more than 500 jobs.30-May-2002

Redcar Council and the Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust have announced plans for a multi-million pound project to build a new hospital and social care facility in Redcar and to replace the Stead Memorial Hospital and Wheatacres Home.30-May-2002

The NHS is planning to spend £5bn improving its IT systems over the next six years, in order to set up electronic patient records and electronic subscribing.30-May-2002

Dartford, Gravesham & Swanley Primary Care Trust is seeking a consortium to build and operate a £25m hospital at its Gravesend & North Kent Hospital site.30-May-2002

Tribal Group has acquired Nightingale, the healthcare architectural practice with offices in Oxford, London and Brighton and more than 100 staff, for £6.7m.29-May-2002

Patientline is raising £38m in a share placing to fund the expansion of its business supplying phones and other services to hospital patients.24-May-2002

Hill-rom is to expand its 200-strong Leicestershire-based workforce, having won a £5m contract to supply 2,000 specialist beds to University Hospital Wales over the next two years.22-May-2002

Leeds Community & Mental Health Services Trust is creating more than 150 jobs as part of a £47m overhaul of mental health services, which will provide new facilities at seven locations across Leeds.21-May-2002

Winchester & Eastleigh Healthcare Trust has awarded a £4m contract to Leadbitter to build a new mental health unit at the Tatchbury Mount Hospital.17-May-2002

PDSA is planning to set up a £0.5m PetAid animal hospital in Birkenhead, with the creation of 16 jobs.16-May-2002

Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham has secured £1m of funding to set up a new catheter suite to treat heart patients over the next 18 months.09-May-2002

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust has announced plans for a £1.5m extension to the pathology laboratories at Southampton General Hospital and a £2m extension of the east wing, with the creation of about 50 jobs.09-May-2002

Smiths Group has sold its Colchester-based urology products business and its Sussex-based ostomy products business to Mentor of the US for £7.3m.08-May-2002

The National Assembly for Wales is supporting plans for the development of a clinical school of medicine in Bangor by 2004, incorporating Bangor University, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd at Bodelwyddan and Wrexham hospital.02-May-2002

NHS Estates is expected to soon announce plans to expand its ProCure 21 hospital building programme across the country, having just awarded pilot contracts in the North West and West Midlands to Laing, Costain, Interserve, Norwest Holst and Medicor.02-May-2002

Westminster Healthcare, the operator of about 90 nursing homes, has undergone a £267m management buy-out backed by 3i.02-May-2002

Oasis Healthcare is planning to double the size of its chain of 67 dental practices over the next two years, having agreed a £25m debt facility.01-May-2002

Peterborough City Council has received an outline planning application from the Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust to build a new £135m hospital at the Edith Cavell site.30-Apr-2002

Newcastle University and the Northern Institute for Cancer Research are planning to build a £11m cancer research centre near Claremont Terrace, to combine 150 staff from the various university research units.29-Apr-2002

Westminster Healthcare is to sell the Priory chain of 29 health clinics to Doughty Hanson for £290m.29-Apr-2002

Notts Healthcare Trust has announced plans to invest £11m in improvements at the Highbury mental hospital in Bulwell, including a new 22-bed ward.24-Apr-2002

Medical Solutions has sold Thackray Instruments and Thackray Practice Plus to Williams Medical Supplies of South Wales for £0.7m.22-Apr-2002

Morecambe Bay NHS Hospitals Trust is planning to set up a £4.5m medical training centre at Ashton Road in Lancaster for the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.22-Apr-2002

Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust has awarded a £4m contract to Morrison to build a primary care centre in Montrose.18-Apr-2002

Derriford Hospital in Plymouth is expected to create thousands of new jobs over the next 10 years, as a result of a series of expansion projects including a new £100m facility due to open in 2007.15-Apr-2002

South Gloucestershire Council has approved plans for the development of a £1.2m urology research centre at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.11-Apr-2002

Camden Primary Care Trust and its Islington counterpart are seeking private sector partners to provide a range of property refurbishment and maintenance services over the next 25 years.10-Apr-2002

Aortech is to acquire the critical care operations of Becton Dickinson of the US, which manufactures monitoring devices and catheters and includes a factory in Singapore, for £36m.10-Apr-2002

Affinity Healthcare is creating 20 new jobs at its Tees Valley-based private healthcare business, due to an increase in the range of care services on offer.08-Apr-2002

NHS Borders has submitted plans to the Scottish Executive for the £4m upgrade of three local cottage hospitals at Duns, Peebles and Kelso.05-Apr-2002

Costain has won a £9.5m contract from Stonebridge Community Housing Trust to build a health and community centre in north-west London.04-Apr-2002

Leapfrog Day Nurseries is planning to raise £30m in a flotation to fund the expansion of its chain of 34 children's day-care nurseries.02-Apr-2002

Primary Health Properties and Brackley Investments are forming a property development joint venture called Primary Health Solutions, in order to build new health facilities such as doctor's surgeries, medical centres and chemists.02-Apr-2002

Smith & Nephew has sold its Rehabilitation business to AbilityOne of the US for £87m, creating a leading supplier of rehabilitation products to hospitals with operations in Kirkby, France and the US.29-Mar-2002

Synergy Healthcare is planning to acquire the Hays Clinical Support Services division of Hays Commercial Services, which provides instrument decontamination and sterilisation services to hospitals, for £11m.26-Mar-2002

Capita Group has acquired Resource Management, the London-based provider of social workers, for £7.1m.19-Mar-2002

Coventry City Council is considering plans for the development of a private hospital, with 70 beds and six operating theatres, on land within the grounds of the city's new superhospital.19-Mar-2002

Royal Berkshire & Battle NHS Trust is seeking contractors for a £23m expansion project at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, including the construction of 11 wards.13-Mar-2002

Shiloh is to acquire Care & Mobility, the Essex-based supplier of mobility aids, for £1.6m.07-Mar-2002

Tribal Group has acquired Secta Group, the healthcare consultancy with 60 staff at offices in Southampton, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and Wakefield, for £8.6m.04-Mar-2002

Rother District Council is to consider plans from Priory Healthcare for the relocation of the Ticehurst House psychiatric hospital to Pagoda Field, and the existing site will be converted into 51 houses by Rydon Homes.04-Mar-2002

The Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow is to recruit 50 new staff, mainly nurses, due to an expected £2m increase in its annual budget.19-Feb-2002

Smith & Nephew is to acquire Oratec Interventions, the US developer of radio frequency technology for minimally invasive surgery, for £220m.15-Feb-2002

Bupa Properties is planning a £5m project to build an operating theatre and extend outpatient facilities at Roundhay Hall in Leeds.14-Feb-2002

St Helens & Knowsley NHS Trust has awarded a £1.8m contract to Simons to refurbish an operating theatre at the Whiston hospital in Prescot.14-Feb-2002

Brighton Health Care NHS Trust has won government permission to start looking for a developer to build a new home for the Royal Alexandra Hospital For Sick Children in Brighton, as part of a £1.1bn government programme for public-private hospital building.13-Feb-2002

Cardiff County Council is in discussions with the University of Wales College of Medicine about the possibility of setting up a £20m interactive medicine museum on the Cardiff Royal Infirmary site.12-Feb-2002

Bradford Health Authority is planning to sell off its historic Saltaire headquarters later this year for about £2m, and staff will be relocated to the district's Primary Care Trusts or the new strategic health authority in Leeds.12-Feb-2002

Service Corporation International of the US has sold UK-based Dignity Caring Funeral Services to a management team backed by HSBC Private Equity for £220m.12-Feb-2002

Plymouth City Council has approved plans for the development of a £13m health studies centre for the Peninsula Medical School at a site near Derriford hospital.11-Feb-2002

Ormskirk Hospital is to spend £24m on a new Women and Children's Centre and extended A&E department over the next five years, while Southport Hospital will spend £16m on a refurbished A&E department, new operating theatres and enhanced laboratory facilities.07-Feb-2002

Mid Devon Primary Care Trust is planning to build a new £11m hospital at the Kennedy Way site in Tiverton, and hopes to start work in the spring.06-Feb-2002

Cancer Research UK is to invest £75m in the creation of research institutes in partnership with the universities of Cambridge, Oxford and Newcastle upon Tyne.05-Feb-2002

Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital has secured funding to build a new £17m maternity unit by 2005.04-Feb-2002

Leicestershire Health Authority has announced plans to recruit 180 new nurses, in a £3m investment designed to ease waiting lists in Leicester's hospitals.01-Feb-2002

West Sussex Health Authority is to consider proposals from a review group for the development of a £273m hospital near Crawley, in order to secure the long-term future of health services in north Sussex and south-east Surrey.31-Jan-2002

The Scottish Parliament has approved plans for the development of a £50m cancer unit for the west of Scotland, which will involve the relocation of Glasgow's Beatson Oncology Centre from the Western Infirmary to a new facility at Gartnavel Hospital.30-Jan-2002

Mid Essex Hospitals Trust has announced plans to build a £4m day surgery unit at the Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford.30-Jan-2002

The Ministry of Defence is to build a £12m primary health centre at Tidworth in Andover by June 2003, to serve the town's military and civilian community.18-Jan-2002

Mount Anvil is to build a £12m healthcare and housing scheme in north London for Haringey NHS Primary Care Trust and Circle 33 Housing Trust.14-Jan-2002

The Scottish Executive is planning to set up a 24-hour NHS call centre at the HCI private hospital in Clydebank, in order to provide health advice services to the west of Scotland.02-Jan-2002